Hanoi (VNA) - A
ceremony was held in Hanoi on December 12 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the
establishment of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association.

Vo Van Thuong, member of the
Political Bureau and head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for
Popularisation and Education, congratulated the association for its
achievements over the past 60 years.

“The association should continue
to bring creativity into full play, which is associated with the pride and
responsibility of artists to build a Vietnamese fine art with both progressive
and traditional identity,” he stressed. “The artists should maintain the true,
the good and the beautiful while promoting Vietnam’s fine art to the world.”

He said the association should
encourage artist members to create more works with high quality of ideological
message and technique; improve the effectiveness of exhibition activities and
develop fine art critics.

Since its beginning with just 123
members, the association has vividly depicted the process of building socialism
in the north, fighting against invaders in the south and reuniting the country.
Many artists visited industrial zones, mines, rural and mountain regions and
battlefields to capture the entire country’s fight to win independence and
build the nation. Today, the association gathers 1,900 members from across the
country, who are joining more and more activities like field trips, camping for
painting and exhibiting their works within and outside the country.

There remain some shortcomings
within the association. Some artists rely on old ways of creating without any
innovation. Some have even copied others or violated copyright. Some important
topics like farmers, workers, soldiers and people’s security officers have not
been taken seriously.

The association has been awarded
the Labour Order, the Independent Order, the Ho Chi Minh Order, and the Golden
Star Order.

At the ceremony, the association
gave merit certificates to former leaders of the association and some artists
with active contributions to the sector.-VNA